“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as
unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
Lord’s will is.”
~ Ephesians
5:15-17 NIV 1984 ~
"He
who fails to plan is planning to fail."
~
Winston Churchill ~
As I
prepare for 2013, one of the first areas of consideration for me is my personal
spiritual growth. I’ve had a lot of people ask, “What do you do?” to grow spiritually. Bible reading and prayer are two of my most helpful spiritual disciplines. There are others I do as well, but these work really well for me. I have to be intentional in carving out time for these things because - personally - I find I can end up wasting time if I do not plan it well, and this
plan will help me – again, personally – not waste time.
2013 Bible
Reading & Prayer Planning Guide
Bible Reading
·
Proverbs (1 Chapter per
day)
I’ve done this for years
at the suggestion of a man who disciple me. I read the chapter of Proverbs that
corresponds with the date of the month (i.e. Dec. 25, read Proverbs 25). As
there are 31 Chapters in the Book, I’m never left without a Proverb to read
daily.
·
Psalms (5 Chapters per
day)
I use a little mathematics
to work this plan. There are 150 Chapters in the Book of Psalms. On the first
day of any given month, I will read Psalm 1, then add the number “30” to each
number (i.e. Jan. 1 + 30 = 31) until I get to the end of the Book (1, 31, 61,
91, 121).
One thing that tripped
me up a little in my Psalms reading was the fact the longest Chapter in
Scripture, Ps. 119 – with its 176 verses – is contained in the Book. I decided
to break the Chapter up into smaller portions that I read throughout the month.
[This means, on the 29th day of each month I only have a small
amount of chapter 119 to read (29, 59, 89, 119, 149)].
If it works better not
to complicate the issue and just read all 176 verses on that day, go for it.
But for me, I feel I had to break it down since I have chosen to do a large amount
of other daily Bible readings.
·
YouVersion (Life Journal
Read Through Plan)
As my Psalms &
Proverbs plan is Old-Testament centered and consistently repetitive, this
read-through plan helps me get to other parts of scripture and ensures I’m
reading all of the Bible.
·
biblegateway.com - Verse
of the Day, NLT and/or NASB translations
I subscribe to
biblegateway.com and the verse of the day comes into my email. It is usually
the first thing I read in the mornings via smartphone device.
Bible Study
·
"Jesus
Calling," Sarah Young (Devotional)
My wife purchased this
book for me this year. It is a one-page devotional thought.
·
"Time to Get
Serious," Tony Evans (Devotional)
I first read this in
college and have re-read it as often as I could ever since.
·
Selected Books of the
Bible – Padfield
Evangelist David
Padfield has posted several different Bible studies for free at the website http://www.padfield.com/. Padfield’s
background seems to be Church of Christ, if that matters to you (my background
is not Church of Christ, but that certainly doesn’t keep me from enjoying the
studies).
·
"Lord I Want to
Know You," - Kay Arthur
Part of the book’s
description reads: “When you know God more fully by studying His
names -- Creator, Healer, Protector, Provider, and many others -- you'll gain
power to stand strong. You'll find strength for times of trial, comfort for
pain, provision for your soul's deepest needs. And your walk with God will be
transformed.” I could use some of that in my life, so I’m going for it.
Prayer
·
"Simple
Prayers," Kenneth & Karen Boa
This is a simple, daily
prayer guide I’ve used for a while. It takes the reader through Scriptures
written in a prayer-filled direction. This is a helpful book for someone who
wants to take an intentional daily walk in prayer.
·
Mastermedia
International Media Leader Prayer Calendar
This calendar is available in print or by email
and provides the name of a media executive and a cultural influencer to pray
for each day. Located at http://www.mastermediaintl.org/resources/media-leader-prayer-calendar/,
it only takes a minute to pray for all types of media folks. I really enjoy
this moment daily.
